The New LifeHacking #4 – Why You Should Ignore Snake-Oil Claims of Instant Improvements in Time Management Skills

In the prior article in this series, I mentioned that each of us must create our own improvement plans to make time management improvements. The best time to do this is right after we have done a diagnosis, rather than in the middle of a store looking at a shiny new piece of equipment. The key to making a successful plan is not only to set customized goals, but also to make sure that they aren’t too big and aren’t too aggressive.

David Allen has it right—on a daily basis, it’s better to focus on small next actions than on huge goals that leave us paralyzed. With some big goals this is easy: they can easily be broken down into small, sequential steps. Other more nebulous goals can’t be pre-determined and must be reassessed at each point on the journey.

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When we make the mistake of not using small steps, it’s partly because we are thinking like Superman rather than Clark Kent. The truth is, a productivity-improvement plan based on us being at our best 100% of the time is likely to fail. Most of the time we are kind of average, and our goals should reflect average effort in order to be realistic.

Changing Habits Over Time

This practice lines up perfectly with recent habit change research that tells us that we need to take small steps in order to be successful. Habit change, as I mentioned in my prior article, is tough. Mark Twain said it well: “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed down-stairs one step at a time.”

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In much the same way, the goals that we set need to be conservative. It’s better to space them out over time, thus reducing the risk of failure. When it comes to changing our productivity habits, this is no time to be setting up stretch goals that need extraordinary effort. Instead, conservative goals and small steps build confidence and momentum. Unfortunately, most time management books and programs simply ignore these lessons, leaving it to the learner to wing it on their own.

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This is exactly what most learners do—right at the end of a book or a program, the ideas seem easy to understand, and effortless to implement.

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If all this sounds like a recipe for failure, it should: it’s better to bring some reality to our individual change effort by making a schedule of changes over time. We can construct a Gantt chart of personal changes that shows the practices we want to implement, and when. Once the chart has been made, the individual items to work on can be transferred to our personal calendars, or embedded in electronic reminders of different kinds.

Given the fact that time management and productivity systems are built on foundations of human habits, practices and rituals, rather than technology, we need to be savvy in managing our expectations. The savviest professionals work on themselves skillfully, by manipulating their habits to make consistent improvements. They don’t chase after the latest trend and can’t be found rushing out to join the line at the Apple store when a new release is announced.

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It’s not rocket science, but you’ll have to ignore the authors who keep telling you how easy it is to change a personal habit, and how it can be done overnight. It’s snake oil. Don’t buy it.

Success In Reaching Goals Is Determined By Mindset

What do you think it takes to achieve your goals? Hard work? Lots of actions? While these are paramount to becoming successful in reaching our goals, neither of these are possible without a positive mindset.

As humans, we naturally tend to lean towards a negative outlook when it comes to our hopes and dreams. We are prone to believing that we have limitations either from within ourselves or from external forces keeping us from truly getting to where we want to be in life. Our tendency to think that we’ll “believe it when we see it” suggests that our mindsets are focused on our goals not really being attainable until they’ve been achieved. The problem with this is that this common mindset fuels our limiting beliefs and shows a lack of faith in ourselves.

The Success Mindset

Success in achieving our goals comes down to a ‘success mindset’. Successful mindsets are those focused on victory, based on positive mental attitudes, empowering inclinations and good habits. Acquiring a success mindset is the sure-fire way to dramatically increase your chance to achieve your goals.

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The idea that achieving our goals comes down to our habits and actions is actually a typical type of mindset that misses a crucial point; that our mindset is, in fact, the determiner of our energy and what actions we take. A negative mindset will tend to create negative actions and similarly if we have a mindset that will only set into action once we see ‘proof’ that our goals are achievable, then the road will be much longer and arduous. This is why, instead of thinking “I’ll believe it when I see it”, a success mindset will think “I’ll see it when I believe it.”

The Placebo Effect and What It Shows Us About The Power of Mindset

The placebo effect is a perfect example of how mindset really can be powerful. In scientific trials, a group of participants were told they received medication that will heal an ailment but were actually given a sugar pill that does nothing (the placebo). Yet after the trial the participants believed it’s had a positive effect – sometimes even cured their ailment even though nothing has changed. This is the power of mindset.

How do we apply this to our goals? Well, when we set goals and dreams how often do we really believe they’ll come to fruition? Have absolute faith that they can be achieved? Have a complete unwavering expectation? Most of us don’t because we hold on to negative mindsets and limiting beliefs about ourselves that stop us from fully believing we are capable or that it’s at all possible. We tend to listen to the opinions of others despite them misaligning with our own or bow to societal pressures that make us believe we should think and act a certain way. There are many reasons why we possess these types of mindsets but a success mindset can be achieved.

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How To Create a Success Mindset

People with success mindsets have a particular way of perceiving things. They have positive outlooks and are able to put faith fully in their ability to succeed. With that in mind, here are a few ways that can turn a negative mindset into a successful one.

1. A Success Mindset Comes From a Growth Mindset

How does a mindset even manifest itself? It comes from the way you talk to yourself in the privacy of your own head. Realising this will go a long way towards noticing how you speak to yourself and others around you. If it’s mainly negative language you use when you talk about your goals and aspirations then this is an example of a fixed mindset.

A negative mindset brings with it a huge number of limiting beliefs. It creates a fixed mindset – one that can’t see beyond it’s own limitations. A growth mindset sees these limitations and looks beyond them – it finds ways to overcome obstacles and believes that this will result in success. When you think of your goal, a fixed mindset may think “what if I fail?” A growth mindset would look at the same goal and think “failures happen but that doesn’t mean I won’t be successful.”

2. Look For The Successes

It’s really important to get your mind focused on positive aspects of your goal. Finding inspiration through others can be really uplifting and keep you on track with developing your success mindset; reinforcing your belief that your dreams can be achieved. Find people that you can talk with about how they achieved their goals and seek out and surround yourself with positive people. This is crucial if you’re learning to develop a positive mindset.

3. Eliminate Negativity

You can come up against a lot of negativity sometimes either through other people or within yourself. Understanding that other people’s negative opinions are created through their own fears and limiting beliefs will go a long way in sustaining your success mindset. But for a lot of us, negative chatter can come from within and these usually manifest as negative words such as can’t, won’t, shouldn’t. Sometimes, when we think of how we’re going to achieve our goals, statements in our minds come out as negative absolutes: ‘It never works out for me’ or ‘I always fail.’

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When you notice these coming up you need to turn them around with ‘It always works out for me!’ and ‘I never fail!’ The trick is to believe it no matter what’s happened in the past. Remember that every new day is a clean slate and for you to adjust your mindset.

4. Create a Vision

Envisioning your end goal and seeing it in your mind is an important trait of a success mindset. Allowing ourselves to imagine our success creates a powerful excitement that shouldn’t be underestimated. When our brain becomes excited at the thought of achieving our goals, we become more committed, work harder towards achieving it and more likely to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

If this involves creating a vision board that you can look at to remind yourself every day then go for it. Small techniques like this go a long way in sustaining your success mindset and shouldn’t be dismissed.

An Inspirational Story…

For centuries experts said that running a mile in under 4 minutes was humanly impossible. On the 6th May 1954, Rodger Bannister did just that. As part of his training, Bannister relentlessly visualised the achievement, believing he could accomplish what everyone said wasn’t possible…and he did it.

What’s more amazing is that, as soon as Bannister achieved the 4-minute mile, more and more people also achieved it. How was this possible after so many years of no one achieving it? Because in people’s minds it was suddenly possible – once people knew that it was achievable it created a mindset of success and now, after over fifty years since Bannister did the ‘impossible’, his record has been lowered by 17 seconds – the power of the success mindset!